


Checkmate

by fireandphoenix



Series: A Game Of Chess [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Again, Gen, Ra's is creepy, Tim is an insecure child, Tim needs a hug, Tim needs to stop taking on everyone else's problems, tim gets kidnapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 13:10:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireandphoenix/pseuds/fireandphoenix
Summary: “That is true,” Ra’s admitted. “I guess it is unfair that I know so much about you, but you don’t know anything about me. I am Ra’s Al Ghul," he paused waiting to see if the name struck a memory chord, but was faintly disappointed when the boy maintained a blank stare. He should have known that the Detective would not have told this one of him yet.But he pressed on, “I run the League of Assassins. And you are the famed Timothy Drake. Son of Jack and Janet Drake. And Batman’s newest Robin. I have simply been dying to meet you.”ORRa's al Ghul decides to test the newest Robin's wit and skill, but soon discovers that Timothy Drake is no ordinary child.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the version of A Game of Chess from Ra's perspective. I had previously posted it with that work, but I changed it to its own work, so if it is familiar, I am sorry.  
> PLEASE READ THAT WORK FIRST.

The new Robin had suffered a serious leg injury a few days ago, and had been benched by the Detective. By now his injury sufficiently healed, but he was still stuck at home since his parents were on another business trip. The Detective would still be out on patrol tonight, meaning it was the prime opportunity to snatch the boy like he had done with the other two.

It would be interesting to see what  _ this  _ Robin was made of. It was not everyone who could force themself into the selective bat society. Maybe  _ this _ Robin would pass the test.

 

* * *

 

The Cave was empty as was planned, and soon the boy could be heard coming down to train as predicted. The limp was almost imperceptible, but still present. Regardless, the boy started to train. After a few bouts, the pain started to show on the boy’s face and movements, but he refused to take a break. Instead he muttered, “Come on Tim, Jason could do better than this,” as it it was him mantra.

“Interesting,” Ra’s murmured to himself, allowing a smile smile to slip onto his lips. “Very interesting.” 

The boy continued to fight long past when most would give up or take a break. He continued to fight until he sagged to the floor, legs refusing to carry him any more. The pain must have become excruciating by now, but the boy didn’t seem to care. Instead he just lay on the floor trying to catch his breath. 

It was almost pathetic to watch this child beat himself up worse than what the vile creatures on the streets did. The boy obviously had the sense of his mentor because it was clear that collapsing wasn’t enough to stop him. No, the boy kept muttering to himself how he would stand back up in a moment.

Now was the time to take action. Motioning to Ubu to be ready to move, Ra’s Al Ghul called to the probe figure, “I think you need more than a few minutes rest.”

The figure barely moved at the sound of the voice, so Ra’s signaled for the assassin to move in. The boy was now mumbling about another hallucination, which was mildly concerning considering that he was only twelve yet has had multiple hallucinations. However it was amusing to have this child think that  _ he  _ was merely an illusion. 

“Believe me boy, I am no hallucination.” With that, Ubu grabbed him and tossed the pitiful figure over his shoulder. The boy tried valiantly tried to make some weak protest, but was far too exhausted by now to do any serious harm. Still it was rather pathetic to watch.

“Please boy, save your strength. You are in no condition to fight.” However, the boy would not give in. Ra’s rolled his eyes. “I will admit you have courage child, but your feeble attempts are becoming a nuisance.” He turned to Ubu. “Knock him out.”.

Ubu was quick to follow the command. He threw the boy down on the rock floor and shoved a cloth coated in a knockout mixture over the boy’s mouth, which would render the boy unconscious for a least a few hours, depending on the boy’s immune system.

The boy was still trying to free himself, but Ra’s doubted if he could have lifted a glass of water in the condition he was in. “Stop struggling boy,” he almost shouted. “You can hardly swat a fly in the state you forced yourself into, let alone fight me.” The boy somehow managed to grab a rock and slice Ubu’s had, causing him to release the boy just long enough. 

With a strength that surprised Ra’s, the boy managed to push the assassin off and stagger away. With a growl of frustration, Ubu leapt to his feet in presuit, but Ra’s stopped him with an outstretched hand. “Wait just a moment,” he said in a low voice. The Robin’s spunk interested him, however ill-fated his endeavor might be. 

Ra’s watched as the drug took effect and the Robin’s movements grew more and more haggard until he slowly stumbled to the floor. Ra’s then signaled for Ubu to fetch their prize.

“You can’t do this,” the boy murmured, trying to push them away, but by now he was as weak as a kitten, unable to resist Ubu’s grip.

“Stupid boy,” Ra’s spat. “The Detective needs to teach his young at least some self-preservation skills.” Turning to Ubu, he said, “Make haste. We are already behind schedule.” 

The plane was waiting for them outside in a clearing in the woods. “Tie him up well. I would hate for him to escape again.” This boy showed incredible grit in managing to escape the assassin’s grasp. It appeared that even though this Robin was new, he was still a Robin, and that made him dangerous.

 

* * *

 

An hour or two into the flight the boy started to moan in his sleep, signaling that the drug was wearing off. Ra’s considered giving him another dose, but decided that it would be better to let him stay awake for the remainder of the flight. It would prove to be a revealing trip.

In a moment, the boy had become perfectly still, obviously feigning sleep in order to get a clue about his whereabouts, which both of the Robins had tried previously, but Jason had twitched too much and Richard wouldn’t sit still for the life of him. “Interesting,” Ra’s murmured too low to be heard. Maybe this Robin would prove to be more than he had calculated. 

After a moment of watching the charade continue, he called out, “You can stop pretending now.” The boy imperceptibly stiffened at the sound of the voice. “I know that you are awake.”

The boy bolted up. “How could you know?” he pouted, clearly trying to figure out what he did wrong. There was a mixture of fear and awe in his voice that Ra’s doubted he meant to show. Batman had not taught his apprentice how to mask his emotion yet.

Well if the boy couldn’t ask the question right, then he did not deserve an answer. “Do you truly believe that you could have fooled me, boy?” It was clear that the boy thought that he could have, but at least he was wise enough not to verbalize that thought.

The way that Ra’s had unmasked his pretense of sleep had clearly unnerved the boy because he called out in a voice a pitch or two higher than normal, “You don’t know who you are up against. Batman is the best detective in the world, and he will find me.” This firm conviction made Ra’s laugh, which only served to unnerve the boy even more.

“Did he find the last Robin?”

That question froze the boy who did  _ not  _ like where that train of thought took him. Which was amusing because at this moment, Ra’s knew that the Detective had already found the letter that had been left for him describing the situation. And of course Bruce was pulling his hair out in order to find this Robin before he lost another one, but sometime that just wasn’t enough. And Ra’s knew that the Detective, no matter how much he cared, would not be coming after the boy because he knew this was a battle he had already lost. 

“You amuse me,” Ra’s said after a moment of watching the boy squirm. “But, please stop talking now. It is becoming a nuisance.” 

He watched the boy as he was forced to think about his predicament. The feeling of helplessness must be weighing heavily on him. The boy was having a mild panic attack because his breaths were coming in short burst, almost gasps, and his body had began to tremble slightly. So maybe it appeared that the new Boy Wonder was not so daring as he would let on.

The boy pressed his eyes close, and bit his lip like he was regretting every decision he had made thus far. Ra’s could see tears trickling down the boy’s cheeks. It seemed that the boy was more upset at his performance than the fact that now he was being held captive by unknown adversaries. 

Then a change took place. The boy took several deep shuddering breaths to try to regain control of himself. Then the boy that Ra’s had glimpsed for a moment was gone, replaced by the Robin that the world saw.

“Interesting,” Ra’s murmured to himself again. This boy wore a mental mask all day to pretend to be someone that he wasn’t.

Ra’s could see that this new boy was trying to figure out how to escape. He moved his hands to feel the rope that bound him. It must have dawned on him what type of rope it was because for a moment Ra’s saw the mask slip again, but only for an instant. Almost immediately the boy had regained composure and was feeling around for something sharp, but he soon figured out that there was nothing. He then sat a little straighter and cocked his head as if to listen for clues about where he was, but that seemed fruitless too.

Ra’s wondered where the boy’s thoughts were now. He had begun to sag a little and a melancholy air surrounded him. Maybe he was wishing to be back home now, reading a book, or catching up on some school work, but Ra’s suspected that he had started berating himself again. It would be easier to read the boy if his blindfold was off, though. “Since you are being such a good boy,” Ra’s spoke up. “I think you can remove your blindfold now.”

The boy seemed to immediately pick up on the intentional ‘you’ in that statement. The boy, after a moment’s hesitation, scrapped his head against the wall, loosening the blindfold, then flicking it to the side with a sharp shake of the head. Ra’s nodded approvingly. “Very good boy, a simple solution.” The boy’s eyes were keen and focused intently on Ra’s. “We should be landing soon,” Ra’s continued. “But until then I would like to hear about you.”

“Don’t you already know about me?” The boy asked puzzled and slightly weary as he should be.

“That is true,” Ra’s admitted. “I guess it is unfair that I know so much about you, but you don’t know anything about me. I am Ra’s Al Ghul,” he paused waiting to see if the name struck a memory chord, but was faintly disappointed when the boy maintained a blank stare. He should have known that the Detective would not have told this one of him yet. But he pressed on, “I run the League of Assassins. And you are the famed Timothy Drake. Son of Jack and Janet Drake. And Batman’s newest Robin. I have simply been  _ dying  _ to meet you.”

The boy turned a shade or two paler at the mention of his and his parents name but with in a second, his indifferent mask was in place again. “That is true,” he stated. “How have you come to know so much about me?”

“I run the League of Assassins,” Ra’s said as way of answer. “I also know that you had a nasty run in with Killer Croc the other day. How is your leg by the way?” The boy grew a few shades paler, but Ra’s gave him credit for courage.

“It has healed nicely,” he said, trying to hold his voice steady, but Ra’s could tell that it was wavering slightly.

“I am glad to hear it,” he said cordially. “I would hate to see you benched for much longer.  After all, you have always loved to be active.” Ra’s let slip a small photograph from an inside pocket. The boy turned white as a sheet at the sight. His hands started to tremble and his eyes had grown as wide as they humanly could. But Ra’s watched as he made a physical effort to shove the fear back down. 

“It was such a pity that this Robin,” he gestured to the photo, “was not good enough.”

The boy’s reaction was explosive. All of the fear was evaporated now. “Jason was an excellent Robin,” he yelled. “He worked nail and tooth for his position, and don’t you dare disrespect him that way.” 

After a second, the fury died down and the boy seemed to have thought better of what he had done, and turned several shades paler. But Ra’s was pleased with this turn of events. The boy had unwittingly shown him what he truly was, and Ra’s doubted if even the boy knew what it was.

“Interesting,” he mused. “Anyway, we are almost at our destination, so please no more talking.” The boy obeyed, seemingly too scared to disagree anymore.

Ra’s continued to muse to himself about the boy’s outburst. It seemed that whenever you talked about him, he grew fearful, but the second you said something about someone he cared about, he would turn into a ferocious beast. 

Obviously, the child cared more about others than he did for his own self. Ra’s leaned back in his chair. He would have to figure out a way to use this.

After a little while, the boy interrupted his thoughts. “Would you tell me where we are going?” he whispered, clearly hoping to figure out some way to escape, but Ra’s was in no mood to answer, so he responded with a distracted, “You will see soon enough.”

 

When the plane touched down, but before they had stood up, Ra’s said, “Please do not try to escape. You will not get far, and I would be forced to punish such behavior.” He was pleased to see that his warning had struck home. Ra’s allowed Ubu to escort the boy first, to give him a further opportunity to watch the boy. Ra’s noticed the limp the boy was trying his best to hide, but a hint of the wound was still evident. As the guards escorted him out, Ra’s noticed that the boy took in every detail about the world around him. Impressive. Batman had trained him well. 

The guards led the boy down to one of the holding rooms, and Ra’s walked to his security room.

It had camera footage from almost every inch of the base. Ra’s settled in to watch the show. Talia stepped in quietly.

“Batman has been seen chasing after several League assassins that he has found in Gotham, questioning them about his missing Robin, but Nightwing has appeared and apparently dragged him back to the BatCave. They have taken no further action.” 

“Thank you, daughter. Where is the former Robin?”

“He is training in one of the upper levels. Away from the main entrance or where the plane bay is, just in case the new Robin decides to escape.” 

Ra’s nodded at this information and turned back to the screens. He watched as the guards tossed him in and slammed the door. Ra’s was curious to see what the boy did when he thought he was alone. 

As expected, the boy staggered to the bed and collapsed. The realization seemed to finally be sinking in, and the fact that he might never get home was drowning the boy. He did not lower himself to the point of tears, though Ra’s could see he was close. He wondered if the pressure would crush the boy, but then there was a change. 

A look of pure determination etched itself on the boy’s face. He then seemed to mentally push all distracting thoughts away and focus on the situation at hand. “Interesting,” Ra’s murmured to himself. It was as if the boy had put on the mask again.

Ra’s was surprised by the boy’s first step in freeing himself. Somehow he had realized that Ra’s was the type of person to hide cameras in the cells to watch his prisoners, so the boy systematically searched the room destroying any camera he found. Luckily he only found two. However, the boy still glanced around the room weary of the room around him, like the wall themselves had eyes. “Very Interesting,” Ra’s murmured. This Robin would be the one to watch. Richard and Todd never thought to check the room for cameras. This one was obviously different than his predecessors. More like the Detective. 

The boy’s next step was to remove his bonds. He looked around the room for anything sharp enough to accomplish this job. His eyes landed on the bed. Ra’s wondered how the boy would achieve what Ra’s assumed the boy had in mind. The answer was kicking the bed frame’s leg off, exposing the sharp nail, and after a few minutes, the boy had freed his hands. 

However when Ra’s was able to clearly see the boy’s arms, he noticed several long gashes. He was surprised that the boy didn’t cry out in agony or try a different method. This boy was determined, Ra’s had to give him that. When Jason tried that stunt, the whole base heard his foul mouth.

The boy then had the presents of mind to hide the evidence of his deed to the best of his ability. He then took time to form a plan. Ra’s could see the wheels of his brain churning over the problem. Surely he must know that there was no way he could escape from the base. Not only was it crawling with assassins, but the only way off was by plane, and the boy  _ definitely _ did not know how to fly one of those. Instead the boy must be concocting a scheme to contact his mentor.

After a while, the boy gave a discouraged face. To busy himself, he dedicated himself to making weapons. Richard had used pieces of wood, and Jason had used his fists. Ra’s wondered after which this boy would take after. The answer appeared to be Richard as the boy broke the wooden legs off the bed to use them almost like bats or escrima sticks. However the boy also created a form of smoke bombs with pieces of the mattress. That was a curious development. The boy was clearly nothing like Jason, but neither was he a clone of original Boy Wonder.

The boy then gathered information about his surroundings by listening at the door.

Then the waiting game began. It was the waiting that had broken both of the boy’s predecessors. Watching Richard pace around that room, nearly made Ra’s sea sick, and Jason used his mouth as a foul sword. However the boy remained almost perfectly still, waiting. But, the three hour sleep that he had the night before might be partially responsible for his current catatonic state too.

An eventual knock on the boy’s door signaled the arrival of dinner. The boy clearly suspected the food to be either drugged or poisoned. He tried to sniff it to see if he could smell any unusual scents. Of course there were none to be found. He then proceeded to stuff it all down like it was his last meal.

For a moment he looked sick, but then he regained his stone face composure. However a minute later, he clenched his fists and gripped his stomach, but a moment later he pushed it away. Ra’s figured that this was his move. An interesting approach. 

The boy slipped to the floor, but pushed himself back up, dragging himself to what was left of the bed. Ra’s managed to catch him gasping, “The food, he  _ did _ poison it.” The shock was written in every line of his face, and it seemed genuine. “I really am going to die.” The shock faded into anger. Perhaps at himself. Perhaps at Ra’s. Perhaps even at his beloved Batman for not rescuing him in time. For failing another Robin. 

The boy dragged himself to the door as a last plea for help. “Mr. Assassin, sir,” his voice sounded pathetically childish. “I- I don’t feel so good.” The desperation in his voice was evident. “Please,” he whimpered. “Please, I don’t want to die.” The boy seemed to strain his ears for any sign of an answer. “Sir please, I- I really don’t want to di…” Then he crumpled to the floor; the rest of the bed frame collapsing beneath him.

The guards on the other side did not answer. Ra’s wondered what they were thinking on the other side of the door. He could see them looking at each other, unsure whether it was a trap or not. Ra’s had to admit the child gave an amazing performance. However the minutes wore on, and the boy still did not move. A worm of doubt began to eat away at Ra’s certainty that it was all an act. The boy’s immune system was nonexistent because of his recent injury, so any slight contamination of the food could have a disastrous effect on him. Surely not enough to kill him, but perhaps enough to injure him. However, the majority of his mind refused to even consider this possibility. But there was that small part. He had not survived all these years without realizing that sometimes what seems improbable is in fact true. 

It took several minutes, but the guards eventually called for backup. One stayed outside, watching the proceedings the other three moved in. Still the boy did not move. It was not until the guards were on top of him did move. A split second before, Ra’s noticed him tense and knew that they had been all fooled.

The boy managed to quickly dispatch the first one, but the others were ready. Ra’s had ordered them not to harm the boy, so they were slightly impeded. The boy seemed to catch on and use this fact to his advantage. Still, Ra’s was startled when the boy threw himself on the assassin. He then managed to reach the door, and slam it in their face.

The boy then took care of the remaining guard and grabbed his sword.

Ra’s noticed a wave of pain as the adrenaline faded enough to allow the pain of his leg through. However the boy pushed through like a real Robin. 

The boy then headed up to the top floor. Curious. Ra’s wondered how long it would take his guards to find him. Jason lasted all of twenty minutes. However Jason had not tried to escape. Instead he headed straight for where they had landed. Ra’s supposed his plan was to hijak one of the planes and fly somewhere safer, but even twenty assassins was too much for him. 

On the other hand, Richard lasted thirty minutes. His goal was to sneak aboard one of the planes. He had managed to knock out an assassin and exchange clothes, but the assassin was quickly discovered. From there it was easy to figure out who had no idea where he was.

The boy’s plan seemed to avoid attention long enough to figure out where the computer was because this one understood that escape was impossible, and his only hope was to get a message to the Detective.

Something must have startled him because he darted into a storage closet. And if Ra’s wasn’t mistaken (and he never was) that was the closet that use to be apart of the training room. They boarded it off years ago, but the rooms still connected. Ra’s wondered if the boy would figure that out.

It seemed that he might. He kept knocking on the walls for a clue to a secret passage, and when he came to the back wall, he hesitated. Finding no trigger (because there wasn’t any) to the supposed passageway, he tried for a more direct approach. That happened to be using the pointy sword to slice straight through the wall. Then the boy seemed to realize the down side to stabbing a wall: the person or persons on the other side would find it hard to ignore a sword spearing through their wall.

However, Ra’s could see that on the other side of the wall was the former Robin himself. Well, this should prove most interesting. He briefly considered telling his guards where their escapee was in order to avoid this confrontation, but he decided that he would rather watch it play out. Luckily for the fugitive, Jason was engrossed in a training bout, and did not notice the sword at first, and before he could he could the boy had snatched it back.

The boy on the other side of the wall seemed to mentally shrug. He most likely thought that he had already alerted the other person, so why not see what was on the other side. He started to neatly cut a slice in the wall. 

By this point, Jason had notice the sword sawing away at the wall. Ra’s wondered what he must have been thinking at the time. Knowing him it was a string of choice words that would not appear in any kid’s book. However, he had the presents of mind to turn out the lights and wait near the hole. 

When the boy’s head popped through, Jason still did not move because the head could easily disappear back into the hole, which was much too small for Jason’s truck size frame to fit through. Instead Jason waited until the entire body had squeezed through. When it had, Jason flashed the lights on. Ra’s could see the boy stare at Jason with a look of shock and utter disbelief before giving a squeak that sounded like, “Jason!” Then Jason gave the boy a whack to the head, and he crumpled to the ground. 

Ra’s wondered if it had been anyone else, if he would have been taken out that easily. He doubted it. It was his surprise that caused him to let down his guard. With anyone else, he would have managed to keep his mind long enough to slither his way out of the situation. However Ra’s was no surprised to see that  _ Timothy _ was in the lead with lasting over forty minutes without getting caught. Ra’s smiled. This Robin  was clearly different. He was smarter, cleverer, more like Batman than the other two ever where. He was truly an opponent worth watching.

Ra’s watched the events in the training room. By the look on his face, he judged that Jason was perplexed with what to do with the boy, so Ra’s took pity on him and sent Talia and a squad of guards to collect Timothy and send Jason to him. 

The task was accomplished, and Jason was promptly admitted. He still wore a puzzled look on his face.

“Why did he know my name?” The question was said immediately without preamble. “And how did he know my name when I am supposed to be dead?”

Ra’s gave him a knowing smile, but decided against telling Jason for now. It would only cause him to hate his replacement, and Ra’s wasn’t ready for that yet. “I will let him explain himself later, but what did you think of him?”

Jason frowned at the lack of answer, but seemed to let it go. Then his frown deepened as he gathered his thoughts about the boy. “Well he didn’t defend himself well,” Jason said with a sneer. “I wonder who trained ‘im. However it was clearly did a horrific job. He just stared at me like a deer in headlights right before it gets run over.”

“Indeed,” Ra’s commented with a hidden smile.

“And stabbin’ the sword through the wall seemed like a dumb move,” Jason rolled his eyes. “I mean who in their right mind stabs a freakin’ sword through a wall without knowing what’s on the other side?” 

Ra’s wanted to show him the footage of Timothy’s escape to see what he would think then, but thought it wise to wait until Jason understood the circumstances, so instead he just nodded.

“I would agree, but we will discuss this further at a later date.” Jason nodded, understanding that the interview was over and left.

Ra’s hide another smile. This was going better than he could have dreamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Ra’s turned the cameras back on to watch Timothy as by now he was awake and alone in the room.

The first thing Timothy did was sweep the new room for bugs again, and he seemed to have better luck this time because he found 6 out of 10 hidden in this room. He then looked around for new possible weapons, but saw none.

Then after doing as much as he could, he let himself fall down on the bed, clearly exhausted after the day’s activities. It was almost sad to see the boy pushing himself to the point of exhaustion because instead of resting like any other might, this boy pressed on. As Timothy pushed himself up again, Ra’s saw a look of pain flash across his face caused by the long gashes in his arms from the nails he used to cut his way free.

A small amount of blood still flowed from the wound, so Timothy tore strips from the bottom of his pants to wrap the wound. After the necessaries were complete, the boy seemed to take a moment to breath and reflect.

Ra’s smiled as he guessed that his thought were revolving around a certain boy who seemed more familiar than should be possible. And from what Ra’s knew about Timothy, he refused to believe his eyes until more concrete proof could be obtained.

Well, if it was proof he wanted, that could be arranged. It would insure Timothy’s return at least. And Ra’s wanted him to come back. He would make a great apprentice. However he would of course be loyal to Batman at first, but minds could be changed given time and the right circumstances. This would make dinner a curious experience.

Soon, Talia went to fetch the boy for the dinner. After his last stunt, the guards were a bit wary and were not taking any chances this time. Ra’s could hear Talia say through the door, “Put your hands on the wall opposite to door.” The boy obeyed, resigned, and four assassins rushed through, followed by Talia. “You may turn around now, slowly.” Ra’s was pleased to see that he did not cower, but instead held his ground like a real Robin.

“My father is ready for you now.” It was amusing to watch that sink in. It was plainly obvious when it had because the boy’s face went as white as a ghost and a look of pure shock and mild terror was written over every inch of his body. “If you behave, I will not be forced to have the guards drag you there.” Timothy quickly got a grip of himself and followed. Ra’s had planned their route to take them by the computer room. He wanted to see how Timothy would react to being so close to his mission. Timothy seemed to know exactly what that room meant as they passed, but with a superior act of will, he withheld himself from doing something rash. Impressive. So young, yet so mature. Unlike Jason who had made a useless attempt to contact Batman or Richard who kept twitching whenever he neared any weapon that he might possibly use. Neither one of them had contained the impulse control when they were brand new Robins, but this one, this one seemed almost born with it.

 

* * *

 

Soon the group arrived at Ra’s private dining hall.

Ra’s watched, hidden behind a door, as the boy instinctively took in every aspect of the room.

“Please sit,” Talia commanded. Timothy obeyed as far as going to the chair, but for some reason he hesitated. Ra’s smiled. Timothy must have inherited Batman’s suspicious mind. “Please take a seat,” Talia insisted. Timothy shook his head.

“I would prefer to wait for Mr. Al Ghul,” was his meek reply.

“Well wait no longer,” Ra’s said bursting out from his hiding place with a flair of drama that would do Batman proud. “A little jumpy are we?” He asked as Timothy recovered from his shock at the sudden appearance.

Timothy scowled at himself, obviously upset that he had shown weakness, but he quickly recovered his indifferent mask. “Good evening Mr. Al Ghul.”

Ra’s stared at him for a moment, letting him squirm a bit before replying, “At least you are politer than the last one.” He wanted to see if Timothy would rise to the bait again. However, even though Ra’s could clearly see the anger spark in his eyes, somehow he managed to stuff it down and replace it with his mask. Good, the boy was a fast learner. “Are you ready for dinner?”

Timothy gave a small nod. “Then please have a seat,” Ra’s said gesturing to the same chair. He wanted to see what Timothy would do.

Timothy eyed it, clearly thinking of all the worst case scenarios. “After you, sir,” he said. Ra’s nodded in approval. It was not blatantly disobeying, but it did give Timothy a moment to come up with a better solution. A wise move. Ra’s sat at the head. Tim, now forced to sit, took the seat next to the one that Ra’s and Talia suggested he take. Another wise move on his part.

He would make a great Robin whether he realized it or not.

Once the meal was served, both Ra’s and Talia ate, but Timothy again showed reluctants. Richard had done the same, but Jason had quickly scarfed the meal down. Interesting to see their differences.

For most of the meal, Timothy remained quiet, but eventually he worked up the courage to ask where they were.

“We are in my dining hall,” was his reply. He knew perfectly well what Timothy had meant, but he took the opportunity to test the boy even further. The child stiffened slightly while his features hardened, but other than that, he refused to do anything.

“My apologies,” he said. “I meant where are we geographically. What mountain are we on?” So the boy had picked up on that subtle fact. Well this would be a perfect opportunity to test how much he truly knew.

“We are on Tipas.”

The boy’s answer was an immediate negative. Ra’s let a small grin slip through. So Timothy knew where they were. He was even cleverer than he appeared. Both of the other Robins had failed this part of the test.

The child must have realized his mistake because the grip on his fork tightened until his knuckles shown white, and he remained quiet for the rest of the meal, clearly trying to not give away anything else.

Instead of eating, Timothy busied himself by trying to subtly watching the ice in the pitcher to gather what time it is. What a clever idea. Neither of the other Robins had ever thought of doing that.

When Ra’s finally put down his fork, signaling to meal was over, Talia quietly left them alone as instructed beforehand.

Ra’s stared at the boy for a moment before asking, “How have you enjoyed your stay with us, Timothy?”

“The service is quick and efficient around here.” A clever response, very diplomatic.

“Apparently not quick enough.”

“I am here aren’t I,” there was a clear bitter note in the words that Timothy was too annoyed to hide. Ra’s understood the bitterness. Both Richard and Jason had both experienced it. Though, both of them had been much more vocal about their displeasure.

“You are indeed. But I must admit that I am surprised at how slow the service was, Timothy.” The boy winced at the use of his name, but otherwise did not react. “It was much slower than for either Richard or Jason.” Ra’s could see the boy fighting to restrain his emotions at the slur of his heros, but he managed. He was a fast learner.

After a moment Ra’s decided that Timothy would not rise to anymore bait, so it was time to move on. “I propose a game, Timothy.” The boy looked sharply. He recognized the significant turn in the conversation. Interesting. “A game of chess.”

“What would you give me if I win?” Ra’s raised an eyebrow at this turn of events. The boy, even though he was clearly at a disadvantage, was using this opportunity as a bargaining chip. Shrewd.

“What do you want?” It would be interesting to see what he would chose, even though Ra’s already knew what it would be.

“My freedom” Ra’s maintained a stoic face as he watched the boy for a long moment. This is what he had expected, but there was no reason to let Timothy know that.

“And why would I do this for you?”

Timothy tightly closed his eyes, as if reliving personal nightmare. When he finally did speak, it was in a low whisper. “He needs a Robin.” He paused, clearly listening for any hint of a decision from Ra’s, but Ra’s carefully masked his face.

This was an interesting turn of events. Both of his predecessors claimed an infringement of their rights as reason they should leave, but this one appeared to solely care about the welfare of Batman as a reason above all else, even an infringement of his rights, which would make sense since this boy had given up his childhood for a man who he did not know, only because Batman needs a Robin.

When Ra’s did not immediately respond, Timothy plunged on. “Right now, I am the only one who can do it. No one else knows, and he would not go looking for a Robin. I might not be the best candidate, but I am the only one at the moment, so at least for now, I need to be his Robin.”

The raw fear in his eyes almost shocked Ra’s. So this was what kept his world moving. The idea that he had to protect Batman. It was almost moving how this child’s only motive in life was to protect someone who would never appreciate him. Moving and sad.

Tim took a breath then continued in a more calm, straightforward method. “If he doesn’t have a Robin, he becomes reckless. He  _ will _  get himself killed. Or someone else. And I cannot let that happen.” Ra’s did not move for a moment. He guessed that Timothy had one more card in reserve, and he wanted to force the boy’s hand. And he was correct. Timothy gave one last deep breath before giving one last attempt. “If you won’t let me go be his Robin, then please let me go find someone else to take up the mantle. Batman will not survive without a Robin.” Still Ra’s did not move. He was sure that this boy would sell his soul for that wretch’s safety. A waste of loyalty.

The boy, obviously fearing Ra’s indecision, continued. “If you are worried about me trying to escape again, I won’t. Even if I did, we both know that I won’t get far. I doubt there is a place on this earth that your assassins haven’t already penetrated.” The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable.

Finally Ra’s spoke up. “You drive a hard bargain, but I do not think your sacrifice will be necessary. I will give you your liberty if you defeat me.” For a moment the boy’s elation penetrated his poker face. “However,” Ra’s continued. “If I defeat you, you will stay here for as long as I please, without another escape attempt.” Of course Ra’s could not keep Timothy long. He too knew the effect a lack of a Robin would have on Batman, but he refused to let Timothy know that.

“Deal,” Timothy said with a somber look that had no place on the face of a child.

“Good. I expect you to keep your side of the bargain.” They both knew that the probability of Timothy conquering Ra’s was close to impossible, but the deal had been made.

A moment later Talia returned carrying his favorite chess set as instructed, and it was quickly set up. Before the game could begin, Timothy had a request. “May the pitcher be refilled with ice?”

Ra’s saw no problem with that request, given that Timothy only wanted to keep track of the time, so he nodded. “That can be arranged,” Ra’s said, signaling Talia. She gave him a quizzical look, but he nodded again for her to do it. “I suspect you would want to be represented by the Dark Knight?” Tim nodded consent, but other than that, he refused to break his Bat-like persona.

Ra’s opened the game with pawn to E4. He wanted to see how fast he could beat Timothy, so the scholar’s mate was the logical choice. However it seems that Timothy was acquainted with that tactic, and effectively blocked it. For a while no one had the upper hand. As soon as Ra’s took a piece, Timothy took another.Then Ra’s saw an opening.

“Check,” he said. Timothy could easily escape the trap, but it would push him into an even more nervous state, which would perhaps lead to more mistakes. Sure enough the boy escaped, and soon after lost three of his pieces.

Then out of the blue, Timothy whispered, “Checkmate.”

If it hadn’t been for his  _ many _  years of schooling his face into one of perfect stone, Ra’s might have looked startled.

He searched the board, but he was indeed checkmated. Interesting. Obviously, he thought regretfully, he had misjudged the boy’s skill. He was much more like his mentor than he realized.

“Well done,  _ detective.” _  Ra’s said as he surrendered his king.

Timothy too, still seemed to be in shock as if he too couldn’t believe that he had beaten the Demon’s Head.

“If you are ready to leave now, I will have Talia escort you out. I will not be joining you on your home journey. I wish you could have stayed, but just know that you are welcome back at any time. Please feel free to send me a message whenever you need assistance.” Ra’s knew the boy would be back. He would make sure of it. This boy was a rising prodigy, and Ra’s would see to it that the young detective was swayed to his side. And he was sure a surprise appearance of an old friend would insure the boy’s return. “Ah, here is my daughter now. She will take you to the plane.”

Timothy was rightly skeptical, and refused to turn his back on Ra’s until he reached the door as if he was waiting for some signal between Ra’s and the assassins lurking around. It was all very amusing. Ra’s went to watch the boy’s exit from his security room. After several minutes without incident, the boy seemed to relax slightly. Then they were heading down the training hall. Timothy did indeed look to see who was fighting.

Suddenly a wave of emotion rolled across his face. Confusion, shock, and a hint of fear. Jason turned to stare back. Ra’s could see the mental panic radiating off of him, before Talia called out, “Timothy, move along. Don’t you want to go home?” Quickly the young detective dashed off, clearly trying to sort out what he had just witnessed, but it would not let go of him. Ra’s knew he would be back. And then Ra’s Al Ghul would have all the time in to world to make him see what his right path is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I plan on doing Batman and Nightwing and Tim's return in the next work in the series.


End file.
